Video 6:08
Flying high

Louisa RebgetzUpdated
Wed Jun 29 12:56:00 EST 2011

Two indigenous students from Ramingining are learning how to fly in the Top End.

Transcript

LAETITIA LEMKE, PRESENTER: Politicians and community leaders agree getting students through school and into jobs would go a long way in closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. Evidence suggests much more is needed to succeed in this area but one program is making inroads. The Smith Family has teamed up with a school in Darwin to enable more employment opportunities for those living in the most remote parts of the Northern Territory. It's using flying as a tool for both career progression and personal development. Louisa Rebgetz reports.

LLOYD GARRAWURRA, RAMINGINING STUDENT: So I want to be a pilot, just like my dad.

LOUISA REBGETZ, REPORTER: It's a big day for Lloyd Garrawurra at the Batchelor airstrip, south-east of Darwin. The 17-year-old from the remote Arnhem community of Ramingining is fullfilling a life long ambition - learning to fly a plane. Glider pilot Gavin Rigley has been teaching Northern Territory students how to fly for more than a decade. He comes back every year from working in New Zealand to conduct the program.

GAVIN RIGLEY, PILOT: This particular program is the only one in the world that acually takes all the children in a school and says "oh it's your turn to go and learn to fly and take full flying lessons".

LOUISA REBGETZ, REPORTER: It was started 11 years ago by the principal at the Essington School in Darwin, David Cannon. Since then 500 teenagers have been put to the test in the skies above Batchelor.

DAVID CANNON, ESSINGTON SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: The program for us is beyond teaching kids to fly it is very much a powerful personnel experience at 15, 16 years of age that shows them they can do things that they never dreamt of doing.

LOUISA REBGETZ: The program has now been extended to include Indigenous teenagers like Lloyd Garrawurra and Antontio Lilipayana through a partnership with The Smith Family. It's called the 'Experiential Mentoring Program' and puts students from remote communities into work placements.

CATHERINE PHILLIPS, THE SMITH FAMILY: Experiential mentoring is aboutwalking beside the students and walking with them as they experience new things and build their aspirations and their confidence. We knew that these boys were really interested in flying and it was just, we were very lucky to be able to come across David at Essington who suggested the flying program and we were able to put that together and realise some dreams for these two boys.

LOUISA REBGETZ: But it wasn't an easy ride getting the boys from Ramingining to Darwin. Convincing families that putting these boys in control of an aircraft was entirely safe proved a challenge.

ANTONIO LILIPIYANA, RAMINGINING STUDENT: They were scared, yeah. They were telling me "You don't want to go there otherwise you might you know crash" they said.

STUART AUSTIN, RAMINGINING TEACHER: Raminginging, where these kids are from is a great community, great school and a lot of potential there but unfortunatly just due to its remoteness and facilities there's not always the opportunity for the kids to show their potential so any opportunity like this is great for them, especially for Lloyd who is aspiring to be a pilot.

LOUISA REBGETZ: Stuart Austin is a teacher in Ramingining. His school has an attendance rate of 58 percent. Mr Austin says experiences like these help motivate students, as well as the rest of the community.

STUART AUSTIN, RAMINGINING TEACHER: It is building their confidence and their, knowing their abilities they can be equal or more than anyone else here in the Territory. It's the rest of the community get the buzz and they'll get all the rewards as well so anything else like this is only good for the community.

DAVID CANNON, ESSINGTON SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: We think that these sorts of programs are important first steps in building their confidence, opening the world up to them and helping them see a different future for themselves.

LOUISA REBGETZ: The principal of the Essington School has grand plans for students like these from bush communities. The school has established its senior college at the Charles Darwin University campus. David Cannon is hoping more remote students end up there to enable an easier transition into tertiary education.

DAVID CANNON, ESSINGTON SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: We're keen to work and the university is too to increase the number of Indigenous students who are able to access programs at CDU and also at our senior college so these sorts of visits, these introductions are very important first steps for young Indigenous students in terms of building their confidence to come into an environment like this and have a life changing experience.

LLOYD GARRAWURRA, RAMINGINING STUDENT: Lloyd Garrawurra is now one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a pilot and he's been given a tick of approval by those who know best.

STUART AUSTIN, RAMINGINING TEACHER: It will be just a beacon a light that everyone else can aspire to if they can see Lloyd whose one of the boys back at home becoming a success story which not all of them can but they all have that potential to be.